West Nile virus sickens L.B. woman

LONG BEACH -- A middle-aged woman is the first Long Beach resident to be a confirmed victim of the West Nile virus - the first in the city since 2005.

Two other potential cases are under investigation, but have not been confirmed, health officials said Wednesday.

The woman, who was not identified, lives in North Long Beach, and health officials said she was hospitalized in early August with a high fever, severe headache and vomiting. She is recovering at home, officials added.

The announcement comes on the heels of two deaths in Orange County last week.

Health officials are finding more cases of positive West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes and dead birds in the northeast section of the city, renewing the warnings recently that precautions are necessary to avoid the health hazards.

Traps at 22 stations throughout the city resulted in 29 positive mosquito batches - described as having 10 to 50 of the insects per grouping - and 52 infected birds, more than double the number given last week. There's also been one infected squirrel.

A majority of the batches were in the city's east area, according to Nelson Kerr of the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Service's Bureau of Environmental Health.

Most were north of Pacific Coast Highway and east of Lakewood Boulevard, which is served by the Los Angeles County Vector Control District, Kerr said.

He attributed the higher number of findings to birds that adopted the nearby river channel as their habitat.

Health officials renewed their warnings about the potential spread of the virus following the disclosure Aug. 25 that a 72-year-old Buena Park woman recently became the first person in the state to die from the infection this year.

That case was followed a few days later, on Aug. 28, with the death of a 64-year-old Garden Grove man.

In early August, vector control officials warned that the risk of contracting West Nile virus from mosquito bites is the highest it's been in four years.

Orange County had not had a West Nile virus-related death since 2004.

Statewide, 112 human cases of West Nile virus infection have been reported in 2008, including 97 symptomatic cases.

Heath officials say people over 50 are at increased risk of West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease, the more serious form of the virus. However, this year, there have been several reported cases involving those under 50, including a juvenile.

In 2004, there were 710 human West Nile virus cases in Southern California, with 21 fatalities, officials said.

About 70 percent of the West Nile victims in the Southland this year have contacted the more serious, neurological form of the disease, officials said. Of the 92 cases, 72 have been in the Southland, Kerr said.

This year, one of the contributing factors to the problem has been foreclosures, resulting in pools becoming breeding ponds for mosquitoes.

Long Beach officials said there were 52 "green pool" cases for all of 2007, adding that mark could reach 100 this year.